After Michael Harrington's revelation that the poor had expeditiously increased in the 1950's, Lyndon B. Johnson took it upon himself to create a "war on poverty" and complete Kennedy's legacy. His following actions - he would term himself as the Great Society - would be a resurgence in economic and educational prowess. LBJ could kill multiple birds with one stone for his Great Society. He could fight back against the oppression of poverty, bridge the educational gap between minorities and social classes, and improve the economy all at once. (Frazer 308). As a poor farmer and teacher once in his life, LBJ directly understood poverty and how to fight it; and as president, he had the powers to fight it. A few reasons LBJ wanted to press for school reform were because classroom and college size would keep increasing, unemployment would continue to rise from dropouts, and he envisioned helping a disadvantaged youth.
I would support LBJ and his plan around 80%. I would support his acts signed in 64` and 65` because those undoubtedly advanced school referendum and brought needed change to American society. Those signed acts brought VISTA, the Job Corps, Head Start, and funding from ESEA into reality (Urban 296). All these programs benefitted various school programs and battled against poverty for inner city kids until their eventual demises. Urban communities discontinued the Job Corps and VISTA locations in their area, and LBJ chose funding for Vietnam war efforts over ESEA. It's a shame that his Great Society failed this way, and by the Nixonite and Reagan eras the War on Poverty was over. The 20% I disagree with is I would have sent more money to rural school districts. I first hand came from a rural school district that had a lack of funding. These problems still continue today and I feel like rural peoples like myself are forgotten sometimes.
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